VA hospital temporarily closes operating rooms

Nebraska and western Iowa veterans who need surgery will undergo those procedures somewhere other than the Omaha VA hospital for the time being.

As of last Friday, all surgery services have been moved to other hospitals that are partnering with the VA of Nebraska-western Iowa. The VA hospital’s 5 operating rooms are closed for renovations after humidifiers in three ORs started leaking.

VA of Nebraska-Western Iowa spokesman Will Ackerman says patient safety was never compromised because of the humidifier issue.

Ackeman says surgeons credentialed by the VA at other medical centers are doing the surgeries at no additional cost to the veterans. He says the operating rooms at the VA hospital won’t re-open until officials are certain all the issues are fixed.